Denver was founded in November 1858 as a gold mining town. The gold quickly dried up and the city became a supply hub for new mines in the mountains. And, until World War II Denver's economy was dependent mainly on the processing and shipping of minerals and ranch products. General William Larimer and Captain Jonathan Cox founded Denver in November 1858 and named it after the Kansas Governor, James W. Denver in hope of receiving the place of the county seat of then Arapaho County, Kansas.